Sangue misto

I gave this film 9 out of 10 but on reflection it really should have been 10 as I can't imagine how anything could ever be better. "Mixed Blood" has a magical quality all of its own. The key ingredients are: hilarious dialogue, cool New York City vistas, fine soundtrack and, most notably, mesmerizing performances. This is not some crappy so-bad-it's-good exploitation film - it is the work of an artist with a unique and sophisticated sensibility and a great sense of humour.

I can't help it - I love to watch this movie - I love the cheesy soundtrack (salsa rhythms played on an old Casio keyboard). I love the way Marilia Pena delivers her lines. (This is the wonderful woman from Pixote!) If there is anyone out there who actually liked Spike of Bensonhurst - you would also enjoy this - I own both movies - They are both by Paul Morrisey (He made many of the Andy Warhol films) - It's a hard sell, recommending this movie - I imagine it could outrage a lot of people - It is alternately a dark comedy and a bittersweet drama - Hard to find people who appreciate both -

(1985) Mixed Blood ACTION CRIME DRAMA

Co-written and directed by Paul Morrissey that has a low budget, and although interesting, it could've been better. The movie focuses on some of the worst slums called "Alphabet City", a slang name of a neighborhood located within the East Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its name comes from Avenues A, B, C, and D, the only avenues in Manhattan to have single-letter names. And depicting a point in time when crime was frequent since it was common knowledge that some of the NYC police were corrupt. Anyways, out of two rival gang factions competing for illegal drug selling, it sympathizes more on one of them lead by a lady who derived from Rio De Janeiro whose name is Rita La Punta (Marília Pêra) who happen to have a good looking son she calls Thiago(Richard Ulacia). Complications arise as soon as one of two rival gang member, Carol(Linda Kerridge) sought a liking to Thiago, Rita's second hand man, allowing the possibility for The German (Ulrich Berr) to take full control. Besides the budget being low, viewers would also have to endure many second rate acting. It explains itself well but could've been better.

I first learned about this film reading "Andy Warhol's Diary" (he loved it). What makes it more interesting for me is that I've lived in Alphabet City for the last 13 years so it's fascinating to realize that the locale where "Rita" is kept hostage is ONE BLOCK from my doorman building! The film has the raw feel that is classic Paul Morrissey. It's entirely entertaining and one particular standout is Rodney Harvey. (Jose)....what a gorgeous boy who I came to learn od'd at the age of 30.

To conclude, this is a gritty and very entertaining film and well worth checking out. Not Morrissey's best but I enjoyed it a lot.

The most interesting aspect of this movie, by far, is the fact that it was directed by longtime Andy Warhol cohort Paul Morrissey. But unlike his stuff from the 70s, like Flesh for Frankenstein and Trash, Morrissey's Mixed Blood is rather mundane. It's a pedestrian story about rival drug gangs in NYC, one Latino and one Brazilian. There's a fair amount of action and fake blood, and the overall look is one of grime and grit and other traits typical of 1980s New York. And if you look real hard, as I did not, you might spot John Leguizamo in his film debut. He's part of the Latino gang, the Maceteros. But other than that, there's not much to say about this movie. It exists, it's directed by Paul Morrissey, and then it ends. Sure, it feels realistic, but so does a root canal.